STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - A simple ride home from a boy she liked resulted in two years of sex slavery for Theresa Flores, a 15-year-old girl with a normal family, living in an affluent suburb near Detroit.
Flores, now an advocate for victims of sex slavery and other forms of human trafficking, will be the featured speaker at Protect Your Kids: A free community forum about human trafficking, to be held on Tues., Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Strongsville Middle School auditorium in Strongsville. The event is being organized by the Rotary Club of Strongsville in partnership with the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking of Cleveland.
Victims of sex slavery and other forms of human trafficking are often hidden in plain sight, being sold on the Internet, or forced to work in hotels or in private residences, coerced by violence, emotional control or the promise of drugs, sometimes while living an otherwise normal life.
"It's important that the public know the red flags of trafficking so that suspected cases of trafficking are recognized and reported, and victims have access to needed services," said Karen Walsh, president and CEO of the Collaborative. "Many people believe that human trafficking takes place only in far-away places. The reality, however, is that it's taking place right here in Greater Cleveland."
The Collaborative developed the public awareness campaign, Human Trafficking Happens Here Too, along with the Ohio Attorney General's Office and Greater Cleveland's Coordinated Response to Human Trafficking, to raise the public's awareness that the crime is occurring across northeast Ohio and right here in our own neighborhoods.
During the first half of 2017, the National Human Trafficking Hotline recorded 191 known cases of human trafficking in Ohio alone, 82% of which involved sex trafficking and 28% of which involved minors. Over the past 10 years, the Cleveland area ranked 13th in the nation for the number of calls per capital made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Columbus ranked ninth.
Around the world, the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery and other advocacy groups estimate more than 4.6 million people live in slavery.
Since escaping from sex trafficking, Flores has become an author and founder of The SOAP (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution) Project. She was appointed to the Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Commission in 2009 and has testified before the Ohio House and Senate in support of Human Trafficking Legislation. Additionally, the "Theresa Flores Law," which eliminates the statue of limitations for children who have been trafficked, was recently passed in Michigan
Other speakers at the forum will include Detective John Morgan, of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department, a member of the Ohio Attorney General - Cuyahoga County Regional Human Trafficking Task Force and a representative from the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
The forum resulted from a series of meetings between the Strongsville Rotary and the Collaborative, along with top administrators of the Strongsville City School District, the Strongsville Police Department, the Strongsville Fire Department, the Ohio Highway Patrol, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner from a local hospital and a Strongsville High School student ambassador appointed to the Ohio Attorney General's Task Force on Human Trafficking.
The free forum is open to all. Registration is not required, but is appreciated. Attendees can register by emailing ken@thewriteco.com and providing the number of people expected to attend. Strongsville Middle School is located at 13200 Pearl Road, Strongsville, Ohio 44136.
SouthPark's Malloween offers mall-wide trick-or-treating, games, contests, prizes, Halloween-themed photo ops and more.
Mall-O-Ween: MallStars Mall-O-Ween at SouthPark Mall is presented by Shop N Play on Sun., Oct 29 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Center Court. Monsters, superheroes, princesses, kings and queens, ghosts and ghouls - all 10 years old or under - are invited to have an imaginative, spooktacular good time dressing up in their Halloween finest (no full facial masks or toy weapons, please) for a mall-wide trick-or-treating party hosted by The Real PopFusio. The day will feature games, contests, prizes, Halloween-themed photo ops and more. It's free and no registration is necessary in advance or at the event.
Cute kids abound at SouthPark Malls's Malloween.
Want a free photo in your Halloween best? Bring a canned good to donate to the Cleveland Food Bank at the event. Cherry Hill Photo will be onsite to take a complimentary photo of you from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in front of a not-too-spooky backdrop located in Cinemark Court. For more information, call 440-238-9199.
Any time before, during or after the event, families can also register their children to join SouthPark Mall's MallStars Kids Club presented by Shop N Play. Once registered, members will receive information on exclusive, monthly, kid-friendly events, free giveaways and a quarterly newsletter for Mom and Dad featuring special retailer offers. You can sign up for MallStars at Mall-O-Ween, at Shop N Play located in the lower level adjacent to Macy's, or at any of the program's future events.
Let the Strongsville community know what is going on with your organization, church, school, business or family. Email me at shirleymac48@att.net.